At the Olympics, there's thigh-off in the village. Greipel is a mountain gorilla, but decidedly tame besides Forstermann. The question is, how does one get thighs that massive? Just by riding hard? Just by pumping lead?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/artic ... highs.htmlHoy spends three hours every day on the cycle track and two hours in the gym where he lies flat on a bench and uses his feet to lift weights of 35 stone, an incredible two-and-a-half times his own body weight.( 220kg on a leg press machine)

Without experience in the body building field, how does Fostermann's quads compare with professional body builders'? In the same ball park. To me, they looked absolutely massive, quite possibly bigger than those professional body builders.

Without experience in the body building field, how does Fostermann's quads compare with professional body builders'? In the same ball park. To me, they looked absolutely massive, quite possibly bigger than those professional body builders.

his workout would more closely match that of a powerlifter rather then a bodybuilder , a powerlifter builds muscle for function where as a bodybuilder builds muscle for aestheticss (cosmetic)

vander wrote:Yes and you do need to work hard while on the juice to look like that. However I still think they are juiced up legs even people that just squat super heavy dont have legs that look that ridiculous.

This really is the question isn't it? Can one get that muscle bulk just by hard physical work?

A side question, is dope permitted in body building competitions? If not, is 'roid use still widespread?

biftek wrote:his workout would more closely match that of a powerlifter rather then a bodybuilder , a powerlifter builds muscle for function where as a bodybuilder builds muscle for aestheticss (cosmetic)

I understand from some coaching circles that weights aren't important for cyclists. The best way to build power for cycling is to cycle. I suspect these cyclists don't believe that.

vander wrote:Yes and you do need to work hard while on the juice to look like that. However I still think they are juiced up legs even people that just squat super heavy dont have legs that look that ridiculous.

This really is the question isn't it? Can one get that muscle bulk just by hard physical work?

A side question, is dope permitted in body building competitions? If not, is 'roid use still widespread?

I dont think they can but happy to be proved wrong. Dope is not permitted in natural bodybuilding comps but they are all on it. I have heard stories of drug testers showing up and all the athletes packing up and going home. I know numerous people that have done a few cycles of roids and have heard a lot of stories about people personally seeing a lot of high level sports people in Australia doing cycles in the offseason.

To your other question weight work is questionable for road cyclists I have seen studies that say its helpful and those that dont but for track cyclists especially sprinters it is necessary all match sprinters spend lots of time in the the gym.

biftek wrote:his workout would more closely match that of a powerlifter rather then a bodybuilder , a powerlifter builds muscle for function where as a bodybuilder builds muscle for aestheticss (cosmetic)

I understand from some coaching circles that weights aren't important for cyclists. The best way to build power for cycling is to cycle. I suspect these cyclists don't believe that.

Alex Simmons/RST wrote:Horses for courses. These are the legs that just won the TdF and Olympic TT:

Whilst I agree with you Wiggins is an excellent example for TT and climbers, but the current focus is on track sprinting.

Q:- What's the value of those massive thighs of Chris Hoy and this example?- Does fixed gear make a difference in terms of rider's physique?

Didn't realise it was just about track sprint. The guy on the left in the original picture is a road professional, not a track sprinter.

Quite clearly one is seeking sufficient muscle mass to deliver very high power outputs for short durations of ~ 20 seconds. But more does not necessarily = faster. Additional mass has to be accelerated, so if the power gain is less than the muscle mass gain, then you will accelerate more slowly. There is also an aero penalty. Even Hoy has made the point about not being too bulky as it was costing him speed.

In fact I made the comment to someone yesterday that Hoy looks super lean at the moment. This is him at the track after the team sprint world record:

Fixed gear has nothing to do with it. It's how hard you work, what you work on, what and how much you eat, and genetics that matters.

biftek wrote:his workout would more closely match that of a powerlifter rather then a bodybuilder , a powerlifter builds muscle for function where as a bodybuilder builds muscle for aestheticss (cosmetic)

I understand from some coaching circles that weights aren't important for cyclists. The best way to build power for cycling is to cycle. I suspect these cyclists don't believe that.

That's not a research paper, it's an opinion piece that discussed one study, cherry picked to support a belief. It would have been far more interesting had all relevant research been considered (which is equivocal to negative for endurance cycling performance).

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